Nov 12, 2009 Nov 14, 2009 Friday November 13, 2009
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Maccast 2009.11.13
A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 284. Lots of interesting Apple numbers. Apple can't get any respect. iTunes getting more polish. Mac OS X 10.6.2 Update. iPhone attacks target Jailbreakers. Mini Display Port made VESA Standard. Apple works to make Holiday shopping easier. Safari 4.0.4 Update. Apple rolls out iTunes Preview. Apple retail keeps growing up. Apple TV Issues after 3.0.1 update. More Magic Mouse feedback. Questions about a stolen Mac. New vs. unplayed in iTunes. Windows virtualization vs. Bootcamp. Thoughts on being a pirate. Maccast Nominated for a Podcast Award. Vote now!. Special thanks to our sponsors: Audible.com - Get your free audiobook. Smile on My Mac, check out DiscLabel and their blog. New music, Chelsea by The Summer Set (iTunes) EOL: OS X Calculator for realsies? Link (via Cult of Mac) Shownotes in: HTML or OPML Subscribe to the Podcast Feed or Get the MP3 or Enhanced AAC
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Take Control offers two ebooks about the iPhone, iPod touch
Posted by Dennis SellersTwo new ebooks in the Take Control series, Take Control of Your iPhone Apps and Take Control of iPhone OS 3, provide an in-depth look at the iPhone and its core apps.
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Palm Pre WebOS 1.3.1 update available now, a day early
webOS 1.3.1 was always destined to come alongside the launch of the Pixi, but it's surprised us by showing its face a day early. No app catalog bombshells here, but there are a slew of more minor fixes and updates that should make users experience a great deal smoother. Is this the update that finally unlocks access to the GPU and provides the speed boost Pre owners are waiting for / advances the iTunes chess match another step? We'll let you know once our unit reboots, for now here are a few highlights from Palm's list of changes: Yahoo! now appears as a Calendar/Contacts/instant messaging synchronization account. You can forward a text or multimedia message by tapping the message > Forward. A new option is available for restarting the phone: press and hold power > Power > Restart. The prior restart method (Device Info > Reset Options > Restart) is still available. Widescreen videos (including YouTube) now display in widescreen mode on the phone by default, instead of being cropped. If you tap to play a YouTube video embedded on a web page, the YouTube application launches and the video plays in the app. Filed under: CellphonesPalm Pre WebOS 1.3.1 update available now, a day early originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iLive: iPod generation planning savvy shopping this holiday season
Posted by Dennis SellersAccording to a new holiday shopping survey by iLive, more than one-third (37%) of shoppers plan to shop smarter during their quests for the perfect gifts this holiday season.
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Qualcomm sampling dual-carrier HSPA+, Multi-Mode 3G/LTE chipsets
Posted by Dennis SellersQualcomm— a developer of wireless technologies, products and services—has announced that it's sampling the industry's first chipsets for dual-carrier HSPA+ and multi-mode 3G/LTE.
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Mariner Software releases StoryMill 3.2.3
Posted by Dennis Sellers Mariner Software has updated its StoryMill novel writing app for Mac OS X to version 3.2.3. It's a maintenance update that fixes some glitches.
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App Store Developer Frustration At A Steady Boil
First it was the absence of a way to develop software at all that frustrated developers after the iPhone debuted in 2007. But thatâs nothing compared to the irritation some developers are feeling now about the ever-popular App Store.This week found two high-profile Apple iPhone developers throwing up their hands and leaving the App Store in their rear view mirrors. First was Facebook programmer Joe Hewitt, who declared his surrender out of frustration with Appleâs approval process. (For the record, Hewitt isnât leaving Facebook, he just wonât be working on the iPhone app.)Rogue Amoeba marks the second defection, announced today in gory detail on their company blog. Itâs a particularly surprising surrender coming from a longtime Mac developer known for such excellent software as Airfoil, Audio Hijack Pro and Fission. Developer Paul Kafasis makes it clear that the labyrinthine web of multiple submissions and re-submissions has finally taken its toll.At issue is the obscene length of time it took Apple to finally approve a minor bug-squashing update to Rogue Amoebaâs Airfoil Speakers Touch: three and a half months! First submitted back in July, the app update was initially rejected for its use of âApple-owned graphic symbolsâ â which had been featured and approved in the original version 1.0. But that was only the beginning of their troubles.Fanning the flames of what could potentially become a full-on developer revolt down the road, Kafasis warns App Store users: âBe aware that Apple is acting as a gatekeeper, and preventing you from getting the software that developers such as ourselves are trying to provide you. We wanted to ship a simple bug fix, and it took almost four months of slow replies, delays, and dithering by Apple. All the while, our buggy, and supposedly infringing version, was still available. Thereâs no other word for that but âbrokenâ.âFor his part, Facebookâs Hewitt summed things up nicely last night on Twitter: âFor every dev that leaves iPhone in frustration, 1,000 new ones join up. iPhone is an unstoppable train regardless of how much we complain.â
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iDeskCal update for Mac OS X adds support for changing time zones
Posted by Dennis SellersHashBang Industries has updated iDeskCal, their iCal-to-Desktop embedding solution, to version 2.3. The upgrade adds support for changing time zones and reflecting differences automatically on time zone sensitive events.
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Article: Ask iLounge 11-13-09
This week's Ask iLounge topics: Syncing different contact info with two iPhones on the same computer, iPod shows no content, Syncing music and videos in playlists, Exclamation marks next to tracks in iTunes, Playing podcasts on 3G iPod shuffle.
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Bill Gates: Steve Jobs âSavedâ Apple
It might be difficult for many Apple faithful to remember the dark days before Steve Jobsâ triumphant return to the throne, especially given the absolute hot streak the company has been on in recent years. But one of the people who remember it well is someone who was instrumental in helping the company get back on its feet at the time: former Microsoft chief Bill Gates.CNBC recently hosted a Town Hall Chat with Gates and Warren Buffet, and one of the juiciest moments of the talk came when audience member David Matthews of Columbia Executive Business School posed the question, âIf you could just comment and tell us what your thoughts are on the job Steve Jobs has done as the CEO of Apple?âThe query received a round of laughter from the audience and a big grin from Gates, who promptly went on to answer the question by praising his former competitor as only he could:âWell, heâs done a fantastic job,â Gates proclaimed. âApple is in a bit of a different business where they make hardware and software together. But when Steve was coming back to Apple⌠Apple was in very tough shape. In fact, most likely it wasn't going to survive. And he brought in a team⌠thatâs made Apple back into being an incredible force in doing good things.âAnd it's great to have competitors like that. We write software for Apple, Microsoft does. They compete with Apple,â Gates concluded. âBut he, of all the leaders in the industry that I've worked with, he showed more inspiration and he saved the company.â
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Leaked: Office 2010 Beta!
To the surprise of almost no one, a beta copy of Microsoft Office 2010 is already making the rounds via peer-to-peer torrent websites, according to Neowin.com.Microsoft is expected to release the beta officially at next weekâs Professional Developer Conference in Los Angeles, having already pegged November as their target month and goosing rumors with a Twitter post about big Office news coming at the conference. Couple all that with the leaked beta already circulating, and it doesnât take rocket science to make an accurate prediction about next week. The beta is the next extension to the technology preview Microsoft unveiled in July, which was also leaked early.âWe have not officially released the beta code of Office (2010),â a Microsoft representative commented. âWe recommend that people do not download code from unauthorized sources.âAdding fuel to the beta fire, the website Craving Tech has also posted several screenshots of what they claim to be the Office 2010 beta â and revealing their source to be none other than Microsoft themselves. Could âleakedâ torrents be the new viral marketing or what?
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PDF Checkpoint tweaked for Snow Leopard
Posted by Dennis SellersZevrix Solutions has released PDF Checkpoint 1.1, an update of the PDF workflow automation solution. It preflights, exports as images and splits multiple PDF files. Version 1.1.3 addresses a file routing related issue and introduces compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 (“Snow Leopard”).
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Black Cat Systems releases Audio Toolbox 2.0.0
Posted by Dennis SellersBlack Cat Systems has released version 2.0.0 of Audio Toolbox. This new version adds Universal Binary support, as well as a waterfall spectrum display.
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AT&T Responds to Verizon Ads
In a rare move, AT&T has posted an official response to Verizonâs ads on their website. The ads show U.S. maps covered in red for Verizonâs coverage, and another with scattered spots of blue for AT&Tâs coverage. The ad showing an iPhone sent to the "Island of Misfit Toys" appears to be what drove AT&T to respond publicly. According to their announcement, "As the U.S. market leader in wireless data service, we typically don't respond to competitors' advertising. However, some recent ads from Verizon are so blatantly false and misleading, that we want to set the record straight about AT&T's wireless data coverage." The Verizon ads are specifically targeting 3G availability, which wasnât as obvious in the original "Thereâs a map for that" ads. Theyâve made that more clear in the latest, but AT&T believes they are still giving the faulty impression that wireless coverage isnât available in the blank areas on the map. "AT&T's wireless data coverage reaches 303 million peopleâor 97% of the U.S. population, where they live and work," the post says. It admits that full 3G service is only available to 75% of the population, though, with the rest covered by EDGE or (ack) GPRS. But they make up for that by saying, "Unlike Verizon, AT&T has the nation's fastest 3G network." Clearly your mileage may vary. Still, their claims that "Unlike Verizon, AT&T customers have access to more than 100,000 applications, more than with any other wireless company" and "Unlike Verizon, AT&T's 3G network lets wireless customers simultaneously talk and surf the web or do e-mail" should score some points. The problem, of course, is that they people they need to score points with arenât on AT&Tâs siteâtheyâre busy watching Verizon ads on TV.
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Hackers bypass Windows 7 activation
Coders have found a way to disable the normal activation requirements of Microsoft's latest operating system, although Redmond says it is working to shore up its antipiracy protections. Originally posted at News - Microsoft
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Prizmo update improves scanner support under Snow Leopardâ¨
Posted by Dennis SellersCreaceed has released Prizmo 1.2, an update of its application for scanning everything thanks to a digital camera. The upgrade improves scanner support under Mac OS X 10.6 (“Snow Leopard”).
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Fighting Fantasy Gamebook Flowcharts
Per yesterday’s link regarding the Fighting Fantasy series of gamebooks, and my desire to see their decision trees mapped out as info-graphics, DF reader Neil E. Hobbs kindly pointed me to this collection of SVG flowcharts. Excellent. (Note: I couldn’t get the SVG images to render properly using Safari, but they seem to render fine in Firefox. They’re enormous. For those of you using browsers other than Firefox, I’ve exported the map for the first book, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, as a GIF file here.) â
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Apple looking for game, media software engineer
Posted by Dennis SellersA new job posting shows that Apple is looking to hire a game and media software engineer for its iPhone and iPod touch team, “perhaps signaling that the company intends to expand its first-party software offerings,” reports AppleInsider.
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1080p HD Coming to YouTube
YouTube announced that starting next week they will be adding support for full 1080p videos. "As resolution of consumer cameras increases, we want to make sure YouTube is the best home on the web to showcase your content," the announcement said. "For viewers with big monitors and a fast computer, try switching to 1080p to get the most out of the fullscreen experience." Sounds great, right? But 1080p videos are going to take significantly more bandwidth, and some are already complaining about buffering delays. Another issue is that in an attempt to keep bandwidth down, YouTube appears to be lowering the audio quality noticeably. They also limit the audio sampling to 44Khz @ 16 bit rather than 48Khz. In our look at their sample video the quality was beautiful but it was jerky with frequent pauses. To be fair, though, there were probably lots of others like us trying to watch the only 1080p sample available right now. Our numbers seemed to indicate around 3.6mbps and 128kbps audio. There may be some pressure to improve quality from their new partners at CBS, MGM, Sony, Lions Gate Entertainment, and the BBC.     This is a perfect opportunity to find out if your broadband provider is really giving the advertised throughput. No word from YouTube on whether they expect users to restrict 1080p to uploads of things we actually want to see clearly.
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Rogue Amoeba abandoning iPhone development
Posted by Dennis Sellers Rogue Amoeba is abandoning development of iPhone products due to the problems in getting products approved by Apple for inclusion in the Apple App Store and because “the Apple Store is broken.”
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Apple releases firmware update for the iPod nano
Posted by Dennis SellersApple has updated the fifth gen iPod nano's firmware to to version 1.0.2. You can install it by plugging your nano into your computer, launching iTunes and installing the update.
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The Macsimum Podcast for November 13th
Posted by Frank PetrieToday on your Macsimum Podcast: “iTunes Preview Pages,” “10.7 Wish List,” “The National Federation of the Blind Nixes Kindle” and ”...Story 4.”
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iPhone/iPod apps for Nov. 13
Posted by Dennis SellersHere are the latest iPhone/iPod touch/iPod apps announced. You can find e'm at the Apple App Store.
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Engadget Podcast 171 - 11.13.2009
Hey there, web surfer. What's cracking? Us? Oh, not much, just listening to this side-splitting episode of the Engadget Podcast on our portable listening device. Yeah, it's the episode where Josh, Nilay and Paul find a purse on the sidewalk with $500 in it and debate whether or not to take it to the police or spend the money on pizza and arcade games. Or maybe they talk about gadgets. You should check it out! Alright, later on cool dude. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Plush Hear the podcast 00:04:00 - Zune HD Marketplace now loaded with free 3D games 00:05:18 - Zune HD 3D games video hands-on 00:23:22 - Dell's Inspiron Zino HD on sale now in America: starts at $229, doubles as an HTPC 00:30:46 - Palm Pixi review 00:35:08 - Walmart's $30 deal vaults Pixi from 'meh' to 'sure, I'll take three' 00:46:44 - Ricoh GXR camera system swaps out the sensor along with the lens 00:47:17 - NVIDIA tablet mystery solved: an ODM Tegra prototype 00:52:10 - Psystar founders claim they cracked OS X, hackintosh scene is 'all wrong' 00:59:00 - Mac OS X 10.6.2 update out on the prowl (update: Atom support is gone) 01:04:43 - Listener questions Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadgetFiled under: PodcastsEngadget Podcast 171 - 11.13.2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Microsoft: Windows 7 tool used GPL code
Microsoft confirms that a tool intended to allow Netbooks to more easily move to the new operating system was based in-part, and unintentionally, on open-source code.
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Sal Soghoian talks Automator use in education
Filed under: Software, AppleScriptTotal Apps has published a nice guest post from Sal Soghoian, Apple's Production Manager for Automator, intended for teachers. He describes how educators have a limited amount of instruction time with the kids, and even less for maintenance tasks like making sure the proper software is installed, that students are on the proper web page, and so on. Sal wants to help, and points out a number of links useful to anyone (not just teachers) who wants to automate these repetitive and often time-consuming tasks. Best of all, he shares a link to The Teacher's Helpers (scroll down a bit), which is a free collection of Automator actions specifically written to assist teachers with Macs in their classrooms. If you've been put off by AppleScript, give Automator a try. Its drag-and-drop interface is much easier to use.TUAWSal Soghoian talks Automator use in education originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Apple - AppleScript - TUAW - Sal Soghoian - Automator
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'Macsimum Recommended Reading' for Nov. 13
Posted by Dennis Sellers“Microsoft's Bill Gates Praises Apple's Steve Jobs For 'Saving the Company' ”—CNBC
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Google Says Donât Quit Microsoft Office Yet
Donât put all of your eggs in the cloudâs ample basket â or in this case, Google Docs â right now. At least thatâs the opinion of Dave Girouard, president of Googleâs enterprise division, who recently warned that their cloud-based Google Docs is not ready to fully dethrone Microsoft Office.In an interview with ZDNet Asia, the exec confesses that Docs is âmuch less matureâ than other Google web apps such as Gmail or Calendar. âWe wouldnât ask people to get rid of Microsoft Office and use Google Docs because it is not mature yet,â Girouard explains. âWe know it.â As one of Googleâs four presidents, his message carries a lot of weight behind it.But that caution is only temporary. In the next year, Google expects somewhere between 30 and 50 updates to Google Docs, making the feature set more robust and improving performance at the same time. After that, Girouard says, Google Docs should be powerful enough to handle the âvast majorityâs needs.âGirouard is quick to point out that Microsoft Office is âan overkill tool for most peopleâ â a quote that Computerworld seems to interpret that even with a souped-up Docs, it wonât be a feature-for-feature competitor for Office.Meanwhile, Microsoft is forging ahead with its own web-based version of Office in an effort to thwart Google Docsâ momentum. Time will tell if word processing and number crunching in the cloud will take off, but in any event there should be some good competition vying for your attention in the next year.
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The Engadget Show: Philippe Starck Q&A bonus round
If you've already watched our interview with Philippe Starck, you'll want to catch this quick game of word association we play as well! Host: Thomas Ricker Directed by: Daniel Gallenkamp Edited by: Chad Mumm and Michael Slavens Music by: Bit Shifter Titles by: Julien Nantiec Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically. Download the Show: Starck Q&A Download The Engadget Show in HD (720p M4V) Download The Engadget Show formatted for iPod / iPhoneContinue reading The Engadget Show: Philippe Starck Q&A bonus roundThe Engadget Show: Philippe Starck Q&A bonus round originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The Engadget Show: Inside the mind of designer Philippe Starck
If you care about design, then you know the name Philippe Starck. As an industrial designer, Starck has been responsible for some of the most groundbreaking -- and divisive -- products ever created. He's been both vilified and deified, and while there are solid arguments for both stances, there is no denying that he is a force to be reckoned with. Fresh off of his design of LaCie's new Mobile and Desktop drives, Engadget's Senior Editor Thomas Ricker had a chance to sit down with the man himself in Paris and hear his thoughts on life, love, and good design. What we learn will shock you, amaze you, warm your heart... and convince you that Starck is a serious Apple fanboy. The full video is after the break. Don't be a fool -- watch it now! Bonus round: Catch a game of word association with Starck right here! Host: Thomas Ricker Directed by: Daniel Gallenkamp Edited by: Chad Mumm and Michael Slavens Music by: Bit Shifter Titles by: Julien Nantiec Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically. Download the Show: Philippe Starck interview Download The Engadget Show in HD (720p M4V) Download The Engadget Show formatted for iPod / iPhoneContinue reading The Engadget Show: Inside the mind of designer Philippe StarckThe Engadget Show: Inside the mind of designer Philippe Starck originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The Apple Store: An Unsung Hero
Apple previewed its Upper West Side store in New York yesterday. Besides welcoming the media into the company's latest example of retail minimalism taken to its logical extreme, Apple Senior VP Ron Johnson talked retail. Glass and stone enclose 8,500 square feet of retail space on street level, topped with a glass ceiling 45 feet above, and with a glass spiral staircase leading to the floor below. According to Gothamist, which has some really nice photos, the street level enclosure could fit 11 of the glass cubes like the one in front of the 5th Avenue store. “We opened our first store in Manhattan seven years ago, and the response has been incredible,” said Johnson, and not just at New York stores. A look at the numbers shows just how successful the Apple Stores have been. Apple opened its first store in May 2001. At the time, it was a controversial decision, and not just because the store design looked like something out “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Rival PC retailer Gateway was cutting back on its stores, but Steve Jobs envisioned Apple Stores as a boon to both sales and marketing. One goal was to eventually put an Apple Store within driving distance of 85 percent of consumers in the U.S., a goal which must be nearing achievement. For 2009, Apple opened more international stores than domestic. The company now intends to open at least one Apple Store in one new country a year. Further, according to Gizmodo, the company plans on opening “more like 50″ stores in the current fiscal year, including more “significant” stores. The outlets, formerly known as “flagship stores,” will be built in multiple countries in Europe as well as Canada, and at least one in Shanghai, China. Also, in the future, stores will be larger in general, making room for more product tables, as well as a bigger Genius Bar. Anyone who has sought technical support at an Apple Store can see the need for that improvement. As for the number of stores being opened, 50 in 2010 would equal that of 2007, which is especially impressive considered the current difficult economic times. However, Apple and the Apple Stores appear immune to those economic troubles. More than 170 million people visited Apple Stores this year, and for the quarter just ending that meant $1.87 billion in revenue. Average sales per store is now $26 million, coming in behind competitor's like Best Buy, but besting Best Buy by a factor of five in terms of sales per square footage, $4,300 to $872. Apple beats even Tiffany's on a retail space-based comparison. Finally, there is the marketing factor. According to Apple, there are more than 100,000 applications on file for positions at Apple Stores. For the Upper West Side store alone, 10,000 applications were submitted, 2,500 applicants were interviewed and 200 were hired. While it's something of a jibe to describe Apple as a cult, if you think of Apple Stores as metaphorical churches, or in the case of the Upper West Side, a cathedral, one role of Apple Store employees becomes clear: making converts. Consider this: Half of those purchasing Macs at Apple Stores are new to the platform. That statistic that hasn't changed since the first Apple Store opened more than eight years ago. While the Upper West Store stands out architecturally, it is Apple Retail that has arguably done as much for the company as OS X, the iPod and the iPhone.
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Apple quietly updates the 5th Generation iPod nano to 1.0.2
Filed under: Audio, Software Update, iPod nano This week Apple issued an update to the iPod nano, bringing it to version 1.0.2. Fixes and additions include: Fixed audiobook playbook setting so Normal, Slower, Faster, works for audio podcasts Resolved issue where Genius Mixes did not work when using the Nike+ Sport Kit Accessibility setting for Mono Audio in now working Fixed bug so VoiceOver menu items are no longer skipped when using headphone + and - volume buttons to navigate As always, you can download this update by clicking on the "Check for Update" button in iTunes when you connect your iPod nano to your computer.TUAWApple quietly updates the 5th Generation iPod nano to 1.0.2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Apple - ITunes - IpodNano - TUAW - Unofficial Apple Weblog
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Multicast announces live streaming, on-demand solution for the iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersMulticast Media Technologies has added live streaming and on-demand video for the iPhone and iPod touch to its hosted Multicast Media Suite solution. The company claims it's the first online video platform provider to offer the complete set of functionality needed to transcode, manage, deliver and display content on the iPhone....
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Dress lit up with 24,000 LEDs, perfect for your next formal rave
In general, we've found the whole LED dress craze to be kind of a snoozer -- after all, the results are usually pretty tacky, in our opinions. It seems, however, that all that has just changed -- with the introduction of Cute Circuit's Galaxy Dress, which is made of silk and has 24,000 LEDs measuring just 2 by 2-millimeters each embroidered onto its surface. As you can see from the photograph, the dress is also quite classic and beautiful -- not your usual raver's delight. To make the dress lighter and more flexible than your average light-enhanced couture, the designers used layers of organza crinoline and silk chiffon, and they power the dress with many small iPod batteries, which are light and easily hidden in the dress. The Galaxy Dress is currently on exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago -- but you can check it out for yourself in the video after the break. [Via Wired] Continue reading Dress lit up with 24,000 LEDs, perfect for your next formal raveFiled under: WearablesDress lit up with 24,000 LEDs, perfect for your next formal rave originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPhone Captures 17% of Smartphone Market
Gartner research shows the iPhone now has 17% of the smartphone market worldwide. Thatâs a huge jump from only 12.9% a year ago. Nokia is still on top with 39%, but thatâs down from 42% last year. Research in Motion is in second place with 20.8% of the market. Interestingly enough, however, Internet Ad Sales reports that the iPhone has passed RIM in western Europe. HTC is fourth, but showed a strong gain over last year. Appleâs numbers should be even stronger in the fourth-quarter reports as Apple begins sales in China and 16 other countries. Gartner research director Carolina Milanesi said, "The third quarter of 2009 saw the announcement of many new mobile devices, including several Android smartphones ready for the holiday season in the fourth quarter, but hardware commoditization and the growth in open platforms will make it harder for them to stand out." Gartner said the average selling price of the iPhone was expected to hold firm, which is good news for Apple since the average selling price indicates a predominance of high-end 3GS models. From an operating system standpoint, Android is still only at 3.5% and Windows Mobile numbers continued to decline.
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News: Rogue Amoeba abandons iPhone development following app approval delay
Rogue Amoeba has announced that it no longer has any plans to release new iPhone applications following a four-month delay in getting a bug fix release of its app Airfoil Speakers Touch approved by Apple. In a blog posting on the company site, Paul Kafasis writes that version 1.0.1 of Airfoil Speakers Touch was submitted to Apple in July, only to be repeatedly rejected due to the use of Apple-provided images of both computers and applications logos,…
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News: Apple releases software 1.0.2 for iPod nano 5G
Apple has released software version 1.0.2 for the fifth-generation iPod nano. According to the release notes, the new firmware fixes normal/slower/faster audio podcast playback, allows Genius Mixes to now work with Nike+iPod, and fixes an issue with Voice Over and the headphone controls, amongst other improvements. Software version 1.0.2 for the fifth-generation iPod nano is available now via the Update feature in iTunes. [via iPod.info.pl]…
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Whoa! AT&T has had enough of the Verizon slams
Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhoneAT&T is clearly not going to take it anymore. Today, they blasted back at Verizon for the nasty ads about AT&T coverage. In a press release today, the communications giant pulled out all the stops: "AT&T's wireless data coverage reaches 303 million people - or 97% of the U.S. population, where they live and work. AT&T is the #1 network for smartphones, with twice the number of smartphone customers than Verizon, our closest competitor. Some of the reasons include: Most popular smartphones. Unlike Verizon, AT&T offers the most popular smartphones in the industry. More wireless apps. Unlike Verizon, AT&T customers have access to more than 100,000 applications, more than with any other wireless company. Talk and E-mail at the same time. Unlike Verizon, AT&T's 3G network lets wireless customers simultaneously talk and surf the web or do e-mail. Fastest 3G in the nation. Unlike Verizon, AT&T has the nation's fastest 3G network." It's a bold move to respond to someone doing a number on you. Microsoft tried to counter Apple pricing with mixed reviews, and AT&T, unlike Apple, has a lot of unhappy customers. This will be fun to watch, but one wishes AT&T was improving service and features (tethering anyone?) instead of getting into these lawsuits and public mud baths.TUAWWhoa! AT&T has had enough of the Verizon slams originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments AT&T - IPhone - Apple - Smartphone - Verizon
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The 'Tech Night Owl' looks at Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard, CEO of the Decade, more
Posted by Dennis SellersOn the new Tech Night Owl broadcast, Gene “Mac Night Owl” Gene Steinberg and guests look at Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard, the CEO of the Decade, and the Droid vs. the iPhone.
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AT&T responds to Verizon Wireless ads
AT&T takes a public stand against Verizon ads touting "5X more 3G coverage" than AT&T. Verizon taunts back. Will it ever end? Not when the stakes are so high.
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News: AT&T responds to Verizon attack ads
In an unusual move, AT&T has issued an official response to Verizon's recent attack ads, which led the iPhone carrier to file a lawsuit against Verizon last week. “As the U.S. market leader in wireless data service, we typically don't respond to competitors' advertising. However, some recent ads from Verizon are so blatantly false and misleading, that we want to set the record straight about AT&T's wireless data…
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â The Airfoil Speakers Touch Situation
Regarding today’s aforelinked tale from Rogue Amoeba regarding the four-month-long process to get a minor bug-fix update to Airfoil Speakers Touch published on the App Store, several readers who insist upon defending Apple in this matter have pointed me to [Jeff LaMarche’s response]. LaMarche writes: I’m going to risk the ire of the maddening crowd once more, but I think somebody needs to come to Apple’s defense this time. I love a good mob scene as much as the next guy, and I keep my pitchfork nice and sharp just in case the need should arise. But⌠the picture that Rogue Amoeba has painted in their farewell post doesn’t look quite so black and white to me. Certainly, Apple could have handled many things about the situation better, but so could have Rogue Amoeba. Let’s strip it down to the basics. Airfoil Speakers Touch included pictures of Apple products; These were images owned by Apple; The iPhone SDK Agreement specifically prohibits the use of images, icons, and logos owned by Apple in iPhone applications; The first rejection clearly and unambiguously stated why the app was being rejected and how it could be fixed. There is much that is wrong with LaMarche’s synopsis. Point 1 is simply wrong; the Airfoil Speakers Touch iPhone app does not contain any of these images. It contains no pictures of Apple computers. It contains no icons of Apple applications. It displays these images after they are sent across the network by Airfoil for Mac. Airfoil for Mac reads these images using public official Mac OS X APIs. I.e. Airfoil Speakers Touch can only show a picture of the Mac it is connected to because the image is sent from the Mac it is connected to. Point 3, I disagree with. I’ve just re-read the entire iPhone SDK Agreement (again), and I find no clause that prohibits what Airfoil Speakers Touch was doing. Here’s section 3.2 (d), which is perhaps what LaMarche is referring to (bold emphasis added):1 (d) To the best of Your knowledge and belief, Your Application and Licensed Application Information do not and will not violate, misappropriate, or infringe any Apple or third party copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy and publicity, trade secrets, patents, or other proprietary or legal rights (e.g. musical composition or performance rights, video rights, photography or image rights, logo rights, third party data rights, etc. for content and materials that may be included in Your Application); One can argue that Airfoil Speakers Touch is somehow “violating”, “misappropriating”, or “infringing” on Apple trademarks here. I would strongly disagree, and argue instead that Airfoil Speakers Touch was using these images very much appropriately. And note that the SDK agreement does not state you cannot “use” Apple trademarks. There’s also section 2.6: This Agreement does not grant You any rights to use any trademarks, logos or service marks belonging to Apple, including but not limited to the iPhone or iPod word marks. If You make reference to any Apple products or technology or use Appleâs trademarks, You agree to comply with the published guidelines at http://www.apple.com/legal/trademark/guidelinesfor3rdparties.html, as modified by Apple from time to time. This clearly suggests that iPhone apps can make use of Apple trademarks, if they comply with the terms of Apple’s guidelines. I’ve read that document, too, and see no clause therein which would suggest that what Airfoil Speakers Touch was doing was in violation of the guidelines. In his write-up regarding the situation, Rogue Amoeba’s Paul Kafasis includes this bit from their App Store rejection notice: Apple Logo and Apple-owned Graphic Symbols: You may not use the Apple Logo or any other Apple-owned graphic symbol, logo, or icon on or in connection with web sites, products, packaging, manuals, promotional/advertising materials, or for any other purpose except pursuant to an express written trademark license from Apple, such as a reseller agreement. That’s less ambiguous. However, note that this language is not contained within the SDK agreement itself. The only way Rogue Amoeba got this language was by designing, building, and submitting the application that did it. (And this gets to LaMarche’s fourth point, wherein he claims the notice was “unambiguous”. It was not. It did not state where Rogue Amoeba had violated this rule. Was it the Mac icons? The app icons? Both? Rogue Amoeba was left to guess — and, when they asked for clarification, left to wait.) Is Apple within their rights to reject this app for this reason? Sure. The bottom line is that they can reject apps for whatever reasons they want — that’s the rule that matters here. But was Rogue Amoeba foolish for designing their application this way? No. There’s nothing in the SDK agreement that they’ve violated. It’s just good design. In UI design, just as in cinema, it is almost always better to show rather than tell. How else can you show which computer the Airfoil iPhone client is connected to? Apple certainly agrees with the design — showing an icon of the machine is exactly how their own Remote app solves the same UI problem. Obviously, the iPhone Remote app is Apple’s own app, so they can’t be accused of violating/misappropriating/infringing their own trademark. But if the de facto rule is “Apple can show a representation of the computer its iPhone apps connect to, but third-party developers can’t”, that doesn’t exactly refute Rogue Amoeba’s conclusion that developing for this platform just isn’t worth it. I can’t link to the SDK agreement, as it resides behind the iPhone Developer Portal. ↩
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Editorial: Hey, AT&T -- drop lawsuits, not calls
AppleInsider published a piece this week that does a good job rounding up the latest counterarguments we've been hearing against Verizon's claims in its suddenly ultra-aggressive attacks on archrival AT&T's network -- attacks that have offended AT&T right into getting the legal team involved. Both sides are applying enough spin to make you dizzy at this point, so let's break down the latest round of pot shots, shall we? Verbiage on Verizon's site suggests that swaths of its 3G network are still running at EV-DO Rev. 0 speed: false. In fact, 100 percent of Verizon's 3G coverage has been Rev. A since 2007 -- the wording refers to 1xRTT, which is the transport technology in use where EV-DO hasn't been deployed. You can't distinguish between EV-DO and 1xRTT on Verizon's coverage map: false. Turns out Verizon has one of the more comprehensive coverage browsers among top-tier carriers. The technologies aren't called out by name, but they're there -- they list compatible features in different coverage zones, ostensibly to reduce customer confusion since your average Joe (not to be confused with our own Joe Flatley) doesn't know or care what "1xRTT" means. EDGE approaches the "low end" of EV-DO Rev. A: false. At the top end of the specification, EDGE can theoretically approach 500kbps in a cleanroom environment -- but in reality, it's runs at a fraction of that and suffers more severe latency issues in practice (which is sometimes a greater detriment to a mobile web browsing experience than raw speed) than UMTS and EV-DO. Heck, AT&T itself claims 75-135kbps. Meanwhile, we got 823kbps on the downlink in real-world modem use on Verizon's Rev. A. AT&T's 3.6Mbps and 7.2Mbps deployments are significantly faster than EV-DO Rev. A: true, but only in theory. We're getting downlink speeds ranging from the low 100s -- yes, 100s -- to the high 800s in Chicago and New York; Chicago's got a trial 7.2Mbps network that's live, but even if we're not connected to it (hard to say), we should still be on 3.6. We seriously have no idea what AT&T's doing behind the scenes with these rollouts, but in urban areas, at least, they're not helping. At all. And that's assuming we can help ourselves from dropping down to EDGE. AT&T's service is augmented by the nation's largest WiFi network: we won't even justify that with a rebuttal. Verizon's gaming the system by comparing only their 3G networks: the truth hurts, AT&T. Verizon's commercials would have you believe that by comparing only 3G coverage, Verizon wins by a country mile. And guess what? They do. To AT&T's credit, the 3GPP's WCDMA technology path is considerably more advanced and extensible than EV-DO Rev. A is, but beyond UMTS's simultaneous voice / data capability, the end user's experience is pretty similar in day-to-day use. We go where the faster real-world speeds (and the reliable calls) are. Verizon is "defending steep losses" with its anti-AT&T, anti-iPhone commercials: false. Verizon added 1.2 million net customers in the most recently reported quarter, excluding acquisitions. LTE is "still years away from viable use" on Verizon: false. They'll have 20-30 markets commercially live in 2010, which is 20-30 more than AT&T will have. It's not nationwide coverage by a long shot, but it gives the carrier a notable lead in the 4G transition since AT&T has sparsely detailed its LTE plans and isn't expected to go live with any markets until 2011 at the earliest. To be fair, Verizon's taking a questionable angle in its advertising by trying to associate 3G coverage with call reliability -- in AT&T's case, the two are totally, completely unrelated -- but the fact remains that for a bunch of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco-based Engadget editors, Verizon bests AT&T in both categories, and we're having a hard time arguing with personal experience. So listen, AT&T, we're sorry Verizon made you upset, but the solution's actually pretty simple: compete. Fix your network, keep scoring hot exclusives, and get hungry again -- because in a year or two, no one's going to give a damn that you used to have an exclusive on the iPhone.Filed under: Cellphones, WirelessEditorial: Hey, AT&T -- drop lawsuits, not calls originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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TechCrunch: Google Chrome OS Available Within a Week
Did you hear that collective nerdgasm 10 minutes ago? Yeah, that was because of a new rumor that Google Chrome OS will be available for download soon. TechCrunch, while vague about whether this will be an alpha release (i.e. download from source and proceed at your own risk) or a legitimate beta release, says that you will be able to download it within the next week. Of course, as with any OS, driver support will be weak at first -- presumably, Google has been talking to big hardware vendors to get them to support their OS. Furthermore, if they release the source, any other smaller developers will be able to get their hardware supported as well. TechCrunch says that Chrome OS may launch with support for ASUS's EEE PC netbooks. Google has said that the Chrome OS will boot directly into a browser, but they haven't released any more details about features, let alone screenshots. It is based off of a Linux Kernel, so some features will be predictable, but you can expect a full Google re-skinning.You can read the TechCrunch post here, and the original Google blog post announcing Chrome OS here.
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Dropbox is taking suggestions on new features, vote for resource fork support!
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools Dropbox, one of my current top 5 favorite apps, has opened voting for their features roadmap. Some neat suggestions so far, but the most cryptic of the top 5 is among the most useful for Mac users: resource fork support! For those less technical among us, the resource fork is metadata attached to a file that helps Mac OS better understand a file. Things like custom icons, folder info, spotlight comments, openmeta tags, and even file type are defined here. This is how Mac OS can do extension-less file names. This resource fork information is stripped in many backup applications (including Dropbox). Go vote this feature request up (sign-in required) so we can all rejoice! Here's the top 5 requests at time of writing: Selective sync. Ability to choose which files or folders get sync'd to which computers. Watch any folder. Sync folders outside the My/Dropbox folder Share folders without forcing other members to lose space. Email files to Dropbox. Mac resource fork support TUAWDropbox is taking suggestions on new features, vote for resource fork support! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Mac OS - Apple - Operating system - TUAW - Resource fork
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Eliminate Pro Becomes First Free App in the Top Grossing List
I'm not sure how many of you are playing Eliminate Pro on your iPhones, but I'm guessing it has to be a fairly high number, considering the app's success since its recent launch. ngmoco's ambitious first-person shooter for Apple's mobile platform is third overall in the App Store's Top Free list, but what's more impressive is the number 22 spot it currently occupies in the Top Grossing list of apps. That's a huge step for the micropayments business model made possible by the introduction of in-app purchasing in iPhone OS 3.0. It marks the first real evidence that developers can make good money offering a “freemium” model on the iPhone platform, with users getting the initial product for free, but paying for in-game rewards and additional content. ngmoco appears to have found the sweet spot in add-on content where users don't feel like they're being extorted by a game's in-app purchasing system. Eliminate Pro uses a system in which players earn rewards for in-game achievements that can be used to purchase armor and weapon upgrades. The catch is that you only get a certain amount of time during which game play earns you points. You can keep playing for free, but in order to get more rewards, you have to pay for more usable time. Users can buy blocks of active time using the in-app purchasing system, in $1, $10 and $30 dollar increments. Players seem to have taken a shine to the system, since in-app purchases alone account for all of Eliminate Pro's gross revenue. ngmoco also has a strong community and social media promotions effort in place behind the new title. The company's other title that depends heavily on in-app commerce, Touch Pets Dogs, hasn't yet mirrored the success of Eliminate Pro. It hasn't been available in the U.S. store for quite as long as Eliminate Pro, but I suspect the fact that its target audience skews much younger has more to do with its weaker performance. Eliminate players are far more likely to be in a position to have access to a pay-capable iTunes account. No doubt ngmoco and other developers will try to repeat the success of Eliminate with other apps based on the same model. Personally, I'd be happy to see more games along the same lines, so long as developers remember that “freemium” does not mean “artificially handicapped.” Eliminate Pro works so well because it's fun even if you don't make use of the in-app purchases. As a result, users feel that ngmoco is operating in good faith and are willing to spend money on enhancing their experience.
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'MacVoices' looks at taking control of your iPhone apps
Posted by Dennis SellersOn the new MacVoices, Jeff Carlson, author of Take Control book: Take Control of Your iPhone Apps explains why there's a need for a detailed examination of the apps that come built in to the iPhone, and how you can benefit from getting to know them better.
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Review: Electronic Arts Command & Conquer Red Alert
Set as a sequel to the desktop Command & Conquer Red Alert 2, the iPhone version of Red Alert puts the player into a role as a commander of a group of either allied or Soviet forces, with a general goal similar to other real-time strategy games of this sort: establish a base, build base facilities and defences, train assault forces and wipe out the enemy forces. The iPhone version of Red Alert provides two game modes: a skirmish mode for those…
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Apple Launches iTunes Preview
When iTunes 9 was released, it brought a slew of new features, including a redesigned interface for the iTunes store based on web technologies like HTML5 and CSS. Now, it looks like the software is porting some of the same technology over to the web in the form of the newly launched iTunes Preview website. The main functionality of iTunes preview is that iTunes links will no longer open in iTunes; rather, they will redirect to a web page with information about the song or the artist, effectively mirroring what you would see in the iTunes artist page. The page then offers a link to preview or purchase the song inside the iTunes application.Unfortunately, the site itself does not offer any preview functionality. Furthermore, finding artists is clunky -- unlike the desktop app, where you can browse the charts by genre, and look through various lists, the only way to find artists is to search for them, or browse for them alphabetically.
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Zuma's Revenge
The name might remind you of an unpleasant side effect of drinking the water in Mexico, but this Zumaâs Revenge wonât make you run for the bathroom. Instead, youâll be glued to your chair, clicking away at ever-harder levels in four fun game modes.The sequel to Zuma doesnât change the fundamental gameplay: Youâre a frog who shoots colored balls at an advancing train (or trains) of colored balls, trying to match three colors to make them disappear. The trains double back on each other, making it hard to get the right shot, and the balls just keep on coming until you rack up enough points to fill the Zuma meter. Then no new balls emerge from the start point, but you still have to clear all the balls on the board before they advance to the end point--or you lose.All we wanna do is Zuma zoom-zoom-zoom.To assist you, Zumaâs Revenge tosses in power-up balls, including three new ones not seen in the last game. Youâll get to explode parts of the train, shoot lasers, fire cannonball spray, eliminate all the balls of one color, slow down or reverse the train, and so on.The frog doesnât even stay fixed. In some levels, he jumps between two vantage points to shoot from. Other levels let the frog slide back and forth on a track. After every 10 levels youâll fight a boss character, who showers you with obstacles that slow you down, make the balls wildly change colors, and more. The linear, 60-level Adventure mode doesnât let you progress until you beat each level, but save points, free lives, and a generous continue system ebb the frustration.Once Adventure mode is complete, you can play Iron Frog mode, and Heroic Frog, more difficult twists on the main game. Challenge mode offers one-off levels, where you try to achieve a set score within a time limit. The more you beat, the more are unlocked, 70 in all.PopCapâs bright, tiki-inspired graphics and island music give the game polish, with the 3D balls seeming to glow against the backgrounds. We experienced a crash or two on our 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro, but for the most part the experience was smooth.
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ioSafe announces 2TB fireproof, waterproof USB hard drive
Posted by Dennis SellersIoSafe has announced the availability of a 2TB version of the ioSafe Solo family of USB desktop external hard drives. Prices start at US$149 for the 500GB model of the waterproof and fireproof drive.
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AT&T 'sets the record straight' on Verizon attack ads
Posted by Dennis SellersHacked off at the rash of Verizon ads blasting its wireless coverage (or lack thereof), AT&T has issued a public statement on the matter. Here's what they have to say:
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Rogue Amoeba: App Store 'broken'
Another prominent iPhone developer is bailing on the App Store calling it "broken." Rogue Amoeba says that "the iPhone platform had great promise, but that promise is not enough."
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Instead of Tweeting About Twitter, Why Not Tweet About Your Smartphone?
In case you've had your fill of people using Twitter to tweet their thoughts about Twitter itself, how about people using their smartphones to tweet about ... their smartphones? This week's Trendrr chart tracks Twitter buzz surrounding the iPhone, Blackberry, the Palm Pre, Google's Android operating system and Verizon's Droid.
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News: iPodweek newsletter coming shortly, sign up today
The latest edition of iPodweek, our weekly newsletter covering all things iLounge, is coming later today. iPodweek is a weekly summary of the best iPod news, reviews, and feature articles weâve published, and it also features giveaways and iPod accessory discount offers from various companies. Thereâs still plenty of time to sign up and receive this week's edition â just use the simple form below to submit your email address, if you haven't…
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Marware releases Eco-Runner for fifth gen iPod nano
Posted by Dennis SellersMarware is shipping the Eco-Runner for the fifth gen iPod nano. The Eco-Runner for nano 5G is made from Eco-Prene and is an environmentally friendly case for the eco-conscious jogger or exercise enthusiast.
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A new accessory for your iPhone: a NASA-developed chemical sensor
Filed under: Hardware, Odds and ends, iPhoneWhat's better than a handful of sensors for determining if some hostile enemy has set off chemical weapons in a city? How about hundreds of thousands or millions of sensors? If research being done by NASA Ames Research Center under the Cell-All program in the US Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate is taken into production, your next smartphone might contain chemical-sensing circuitry. A recent article in OnOrbit described a proof of concept that was developed by Jing Li, a scientist at Ames, and a group of other researchers. In order to test out the tiny nanosensor-based chemical sensing circuitry, Li and his team created a device that plugs into the dock port of an iPhone. To quote the original post, The new device is able to detect and identify low concentrations of airborne ammonia, chlorine gas and methane. The device senses chemicals in the air using a "sample jet" and a multiple-channel silicon-based sensing chip, which consists of 16 nanosensors, and sends detection data to another phone or a computer via telephone communication network or Wi-Fi. A newer version of the sensor has 64 nanosensors built-in and is less than 1 cm on a side. Isn't it cool that your iPhone is getting to be more like a Star Trek tricorder every day? [via Gizmodo]TUAWA new accessory for your iPhone: a NASA-developed chemical sensor originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments iPhone - NASA Ames Research Center - NASA - StarTrek - United States Department of Homeland Security
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Despite Popularity, Top Browsers Can Still Have Flaws
Despite their recent popularity, browser behemoths Safari and Firefox have also been found to be the most vulnerable to attacks according to a recent study from this week.The study found that of the 3,100 exploits that were tracked by researchers, 44 percent were able to break through and attack Firefox, while only 15 percent would work within Internet Explorer. Safari was not far behind, at 35 percent.The reason for Safari's large share was due in part to Apple including it on its iPhone and iPod touch platforms.Apple has been quick to work on fixing these exploits through recent patchwork within the iPhone operating system.
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App Store Devs Flaunt Copyright Troll With Name Changes
iPhone devs are a rebellious bunch, and they don't like to be bullied by anyone other than their Apple, which both frustrates and affirms their existence. Now, in light of what some might call a campaign being waged against the App Store by a well-known trademark troll, many iPhone devs are protesting what they see as Apple's cowardice in the face of unjust threats. According to TUAW, the trademark troll in question is none other than Tim Langdell, founder of the “gaming company” Edge Games. In reality, Edge Games produces very little beyond copyright infringement suits, which it launches against any and all games that feature the word “edge” in their title. EA's Mirror's Edge recently fell between Langdell's crosshairs, for example, despite the fact that the game itself bears no similarity to any of Edge Games' roster of “planned” titles. Apparently, the App Store has been a prime target for Tim Langdell and Edge Games. Reports claim that all he has to do is contact Apple and let them know that a game is in violation of his trademarks, which basically means it has “edge” somewhere in the title, and Apple pulls the game without much fuss. No doubt Apple just doesn't want to deal with all the fuss of yet another legal battle that could ensue if Langdell gets the opportunity to take things beyond the cease and desist phase, but this really seems unfair to honest game devs who actually work for their money. In protest, a group of iPhone devs are changing the names of their games to include “edge” in the titles, with the desired outcome being that Apple will realize that to continue just disallowing the word completely will significantly affect the App Store's catalog of offerings. So, for example, Canabalt becomes “Canabedge“, the Eliss sequel becomes “Edgeliss,” and Critter Crunch becomes “Critter Credge.” All of the changes mentioned haven't actually been made to the apps in the store, but on developer websites as a show of solidarity. Even though this particular protest limits itself to the area beyond Apple's sphere of control, it does demonstrate a promising solution to App Store bully tactics. If developers could organize in a similar manner, but with bigger numbers and with the support of some of the pillars of the App Store, they could more effectively combat unfair policies. Apple will be less likely to anger content producers if it has potential ramifications across its catalog. Let's see a developers rights advocacy group come to pass, so articles about the injustices of the App Store can become a more infrequent occurrence.
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Apple unveils iTunes Preview
Posted by Dennis SellersApple has launched iTunes Preview, a web site that gives customers the option to view content without launching the application.
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Apple has sold 30,000 iPhones in China?
Posted by Dennis SellersWhen it comes to how many iPhones Apple has sold in China so far, well, you can find all sorts of figures from various sources. Daniel Amir, director and senior research analyst of semiconductors at Lazard Capital Markets, cited China Unicom as sayings it's sold some 30,000 iPhones in the country...
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How much longer until Apple becomes most valuable computing company in the world?
Posted by Dennis Sellers This question is one asked by Silicon Valley Insider today, noting that Apple's market cap is closing in on that of Microsoft.
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New Yorkâs Latest Apple Mecca Unveiled
Apple Stores have always been a thing of beauty, even the more modest ones set up inside traditional shopping malls. Tomorrow, Apple will unveil its most impressive location yet, if the photos now live on Gizmodo are any indication.Located on Broadway at 67th Street in New Yorkâs Upper West Side, the new location marks Appleâs fourth Manhattan. âWe opened our first store in Manhattan seven years ago, and the response has been incredible,â said Ron Johnson, Appleâs senior vice president of Retail. âWe hope our new store on the Upper West Side will become as much a part of the community as our stores in SoHo, the Meatpacking District and on Fifth Avenue.âSpeaking of which, Gizmodo claims that the new store is large enough to fit eleven of the 5th Avenue stores inside its walls. The top floor is a huge, open space with stone walls and an arched glass ceiling, with rows of tables in the main room. Most of the action takes place underground, in the basement floor occupied by the Genius Bar and personal training space thatâs said to be the biggest of any Apple Store yet. How big? Imagine a 45-foot spread with enough room to handle up to 100 customers at once!If youâre in or near Manhattan, you can check it out for yourself when the doors swing open at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 14. The Apple Store Upper West Side is located at 1981 Broadway and the first 2,500 visitors to the store will receive a limited edition, commemorative t-shirt. Nothing says âI was hereâ like a free t-shirt!
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Apple opens retail store in Brisbane, Australia
Posted by Dennis SellersApple opened its Brisbane store today. It's the first in the city, the largest of its kind in Australia and “the reason Westfield Chermside employed extra security staff and prepared for campers overnight,” reports the Courier Mail.
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Apple Launches iTunes Preview
This is one of those items I find so hard to get behind, rather like the infrequent (boring) updates to MobileMe. But here goes; Apple has ever-so-quietly launched a new web-based front-end to their iTunes music library titled âiTunes Preview.â It allows a visitor to view lists of music available on the iTunes Store via their web browser. There you go. Thatâs kinda it. Iâm going to assume 99.999 percent of our readers already use iTunes, and are probably intimately familiar with the drill by now; youâre reading a web page and youâre presented with a link to some music, tv show or maybe an app inside the iTunes store. You click the link and, after your browser does a brief Redirection Dance, iTunes pops-up, opens the iTunes store and, as youâd expect, dumps you out on the correct product page. Which is nice. Except, this isnât the case if you donât have iTunes installed. If youâre one of the few people left in this crazy world who doesn't have iTunes installed, clicking on one of those links previously dumped you (again, after the spastic redirection dance) on a web page commanding you to download and install iTunes. Which is not nice. Well, all that has (sort of) changed. iTunes Preview exists as something of an interim step designed to partially improve the overall user experience, and partially to get the last remaining holdouts among us to install iTunes. See, despite the âPreviewâ part of its name, iTunes Preview doesnât let you actually preview anything beyond Music. And then itâs not actually a preview. Itâs just track-listings and user reviews. If you want to listen to a bit of music before you part with your cash, youâll still need to install iTunes. And, in case that wasnât totally obvious already, the webpage provides ample linkage to get you downloading Appleâs venerable media software. As it stands today, the value and usefulness of iTunes Preview is limited. I guess it's sort-of useful if all you want is a user-friendly link you can stuff into an email to your significant other (To: Other Half, Subject: Buy me this for xmas). But Iâm scraping the bottom of the barrel here in search of really worthwhile functionality. Right now, iTunes Preview verges on being almost entirely pointless. Sure, browse music by artist or album, view metadata like track duration or artist bios, and even find related artists⌠but anything more than that is reserved for the real iTunes. However, itâs early days. Who knows what Apple might do in the months and years to come? Is this, for instance, the first step toward freeing users from iTunes, in anticipation of a day when that bloated, lumbering beast will be replaced by a suite of modern, slimline, specialized apps? Nah, probably not. The music in iTunes might have been liberated from its DRM-shackles, but everyone forgets that iTunes itself is, for most people, one giant walled garden. With one hundred million active credit card accounts tied to the iTunes ecosystem, itâs unlikely Apple will want to break it apart any day soon without a proven, easy and established migration route to its successor(s). iTunes Preview might be the start of something interesting, but it just as easily might be nothing more than the result of a user-experience âtidy-upâ by the iTunes dev team, an idea that languished at the bottom of their âmight be niceâ wish-list for the last few years and just got executed by their newest interns. If youâre keen to try it out, youâll be pleased to learn it works on all the major browsers and is available right now. I'll get you started with this link to the Michael Jackson artist page so you can see for yourself how it works. You can also access more content from the iTunes Charts page. But donât get excited — thereâs really nothing to see here, folks.
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Yamaha releases new iPod compatible music systems
Posted by Dennis SellersYamaha has introduced the “Made for iPod” MCR- 140 and MCR-040 micro-component music systems. They have manufacturer's suggested retail prices of US$399.95 and $279.95, respectively.
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Boston Globe launches GlobeReader digital newspaper
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Boston Globe has launched GlobeReader, a digital version of newspaper that can be read offline or online. GlobeReader replaces the preview edition that had been available since this summer to all Boston Globe subscribers at no charge.
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It's about time: TomTom submits updated nav app to Apple
Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, iPhoneVery welcome news for owners of the TomTom iPhone nav app [iTunes link for U.S. version]; the company has announced a free update that includes many of the features that people were craving. Advanced lane guidance giving drivers extra clarity when navigating difficult junctions. For the first time this is in both landscape and portrait mode. Text-to-speech helping motorists to keep their eyes on the road by enabling street names and places to be read aloud as part of the spoken instructions. "Help Me" providing direct access to emergency numbers and directions to the nearest emergency providers. Updated map and safety camera database (Europe only) Customizable audio warnings when approaching safety cameras or driving over the speed limit, increasing driver safety and saving money. iPod player control ensuring drivers can conveniently control their music from within the application. TomTom submitted the new version to Apple yesterday, and as usual, it's anybody's guess when it will emerge. It won't be fast enough for TomTom owners, who have seen their app fall behind the feature rich Navigon app and other GPS offerings. The joker in this particular deck is still the free Google Navigation app, which is trying to get onto the iPhone and will have a gaggle of features no one else is offering. [via Engadget]TUAWIt's about time: TomTom submits updated nav app to Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments IPhone - ITunes - Apple - TomTom - Speech synthesis
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Launch2net offers Snow Leopard compatibility for many 3G USB modems, ExpressCards
Posted by Dennis SellersNova media has updated launch2net, its mobile connection manager for Mac OS X, to version 1.8.8.8. The new version offers Mac OS X 10.6 (“Snow Leopard”) compatibility for many 3G USB modems and 3G ExpressCards from Option.
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App Store Four-Month-Long Wait for a Bug Fix to Be Accepted of the Week: Airfoil Speakers Touch 1.0.1
Rogue Amoeba submitted a small bug fix update to Airfoil Speakers Touch in July. It wasn’t accepted until this week. The reason: when you use it to stream audio from a Mac on your local network, it (a) shows a picture of the type of Mac doing the streaming, and (b) shows a small icon of the app on the Mac playing the audio. Version 1.0 did these things and was in the Store. Version 1.0.1 did the exact same things and was not accepted. Paul Kafasis: Rogue Amoeba no longer has any plans for additional iPhone applications, and updates to our existing iPhone applications will likely be rare. The iPhone platform had great promise, but that promise is not enough, so weâre focusing on the Mac. At a certain point good developers are just going to say, “I don’t need this.” Also, judging from the comments on the piece from die-hard defenders of the App Store, there’s clearly a misconception about where these images of Mac computers and app icons are coming from. These images — which, yes, are copyrighted by Apple — are not stored within the Airfoil Speakers Touch application. They are being sent from Airfoil on the Mac over the network, live, as the audio streams. Airfoil on the Mac is using public APIs to get these images. It’s petty nonsense. It’s like if you wrote a VNC client for the iPhone and Apple rejected it because when you connect to the display of a remote Mac, you can see Apple trademarked icons in the Dock. The UI problem Rogue Amoeba solved was the question of which computer your iPhone Airfoil client is connected to. Which computer? This computer, look at it. Apple, of all companies, should know that a visual solution is better than a textual one. â
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Microsoft Admits, Then Denies, Copying Mac OS X
It boggles the mind, it really does. Microsoft tries so hard but for each step forward, it seems to take three steps back. Windows 7, Redmond's answer to the train-wreck that was Vista, has been out for just a matter of weeks and has managed to garner mostly positive reviews. But Microsoft canât help itself. It has to do something silly, and, true to form, it has. It seems Microsoftâs middle management canât decide whether or not it ripped-off Mac OS X when it was redesigning its flagship product. This is the result of a bewildering comment from Microsoft Partner Group Manager Simon Aldous in an interview this week with PCR. Heâs neither a developer nor a designer, and he didnât work on Windows 7. But Aldous didnât let that stop him saying this about Microsoftâs latest OS: One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that itâs very graphical and easy to use. What weâve tried to do with Windows 7 [âŚ] is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics. So. Aldous just made it clear; Windows 7 copies borrows its design from the Mac. Only, no, it doesnât. Not according to a retort yesterday from Windows Communications Manager, Brandon LeBlanc. Writing on The Windows Blog, LeBlanc said: An inaccurate quote has been floating around the Internet today about the design origins of Windows 7 and whether its look and feel was âborrowedâ from Mac OS X. Unfortunately this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7. I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed. The tech press is going bonkers about it, of course, but letâs be honest — when it comes to operating systems, the days when these two giants outright-copied one another and it mattered are far behind us. The common elements of an OS user interface are driven largely by user need/behavior. High resolution color displays and the ubiquity of the mouse and keyboard combo would have led to these similarities irrespective of the company behind them. Put simply, thirty-odd years of OS evolution would result inevitably in functional and aesthetic similarities. What Are They Looking At? When people say that Windows 7 âlooks likeâ Mac OS X, I donât understand exactly what it is theyâre looking at. Mac OS X's Dock and Windows 7's Taskbar are similar in function, but not design. The desktop and windows are, again, similar in function — but they don't look the same. Windows 7 has gone overboard with transparencies everywhere, to the detriment of ease of use. Mac OS X, on the other hand, introduced transparencies many years ago and has consistently dialled them down in successive OS updates. Windows was long-criticized for its drab, gunship grey interface. XP and Vista moved gradually away from grey, and now Windows 7âs UI is an explosion of green and blue (or red or pink or purple or whatever godawful theme you choose). Mac OS X, on the other hand, remains a stately, elegant⌠gunship grey. Not at all like Windows 7. I suspect people mistake Microsoftâs bold-yet-vomit-enducingly-colorful design of Windows 7 with the elegance of Mac OS X. I'm aware that these observations are subjective. My opinions are just that — my opinions. You might agree with me that itâs wrong to say Windows 7 and Mac OS X look âthe same.â You might think Iâm desperately uninformed and waste no time telling me as much. (In fact, the predictable result of any article comparing Windows with Mac OS X is the vitriol from commenters apparently unaware theyâre reading TheAppleBlog.) In any case, consider this; here we have two Microsoft execs, one in product sales, one in product design & development. The former sees how customers perceive the Mac to be a superior product, and tries to exploit that perception by 'connecting' Windows 7 to it. (“The Mac is great, so by copying it, Windows is great, too.” etc.) The latter has spent years working hard on this new OS and responds with understandable indignation to the suggestion his team copied anything from the competition. Either way, it's embarrassing. At a time when they ought to be extolling the wonders and miracles an upgrade to Windows 7 may bring, they're instead drawing attention to their biggest rival. I can't help but imagine an email winging its way through Apple's Marketing department this week, its subject line reading, “With competition like this, who needs an ad campaign?”
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Apple to open 40 to 50 new Apple Stores next year
Filed under: Apple Corporate, RetailAt a media preview event yesterday designed to create buzz for Apple's newest store opening in Manhattan, Ron Johnston, Apple's senior vice president of retail announced that Apple would be opening 40-50 more Apple retail stores in the coming year. One focus will be on opening larger stores overall. While this is great news for anybody who has been frustrated by the zoo that is any Apple store on any given day recently (careful what you wish for when you wish for your platform of choice to finally get the market share it needs to ensure continued development), the bulk of these stores will be overseas in cities like Paris, London, and Shanghai. So if you live in Paris, London, or Shanghai, congratulations! You, too, will have a store you can try to shop in when all you want is a new set of earphones for your iPhone and you can't get anywhere near the display.TUAWApple to open 40 to 50 new Apple Stores next year originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments IPhone - Apple - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Paris - TUAW
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News: NASA creates iPhone-based chemical sensor
A NASA scientist has created a 30-pin accessory that allows an iPhone or iPod touch to be used as a chemical sensor. Jing Li, a physical scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, along with other researchers in the Cell-All program in the Department of Homeland Securityâs Science and Technology Directorate, built the postage stamp-sized device, which packs 16 nanosensors that allow for detection and identification of low concentrations airborne…
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Facebook Developer Leaves iPhone Scene, Unhappy with Dev Process
Joe Hewitt, developer of the popular Facebook iPhone app, has decided to stop iPhone development because of Apples policies.In a recent interview with TechCrunch, Hewitt said is reason for leaving the iPhone development scene, "had everything to do with Appleâs policies.âHe went on to say, "I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer." "The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer. In the long term, I would like to be able to say that I helped to make the web the best mobile platform available, rather than being part of the transition to a world where every developer must go through a middleman to get their software in the hands of users,â Hewitt said. Hewitt is among the growing number of iPhone developers who are leaving the platform because of Apples application review process. Many are leaving not because of the great SDK Apple provides to all developers, or the programming language, but because of the long review process, the lack of communication between the reviewers and developers, and also the possibility of getting turned down after spending development time.Apple's review process has definitely improved over the past year, but more improvements still need to happen. If Apple doesn't take hold of their App Store and review process, it could mean that another phone company could step in and take over the area that Apple pioneered. The latest Google Android-based phones could prove to be a better development platform because developers have two options: Submit their app to an application store or sell it on their own site and allow the user install it themselves. This model could prove to be better for both the developer and consumer because it can give the developer a no-hassle app distribution place and give the consumer the applications they want. After all, developers do development for a reason: It's their main job. They have to make a living just like everyone else and they will choose the platform that allows them to do this. You can read the full interview with Joe Hewitt on TechCrunch. via The Apple Blog
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Mac Games and More releases United State of Pool game
Posted by Dennis SellersMac Games and More has released a new Mac OS X game called United States of Pool, which is a set of billiards game that allows you to travel across American stopping off in various cities to play a match of 9-Ball pool and more. In order to advance to the...
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Evernote for Mac Gets an Update
For our readers who count themselves fans of Evernote, the note taking app, there's good news. The desktop version just got a few new upgrades that fixed some things and added at least one new sweet feature. Evernote allows you to take a voice note, snap a picture, or jot a note while you're on the go, then synch it with your desktop account so your notes are available wherever you are. On the desktop version, you can snip web pages, copy maps, take all the notes you want, then synch them back to your phone for on the go reference.This sort of thing comes in handy when you're shopping for a big ticket item and you do your research online. Simply gather all your notes and pictures and links, synch them to your iPhone, and you have a pocket Consumer Reports when you roll up to the store. With the latest update, Evernote's added French, German, Italian and Spanish to the application languages, broadening the app's appeal. Speaking of languages, the folks at Evernote are also working on improving their handwriting recognition apsects. So if you take a picture of a jotted down list, Evernote's search function can locate those words when you're seeking a specific bullet point. With improvements to their language recognition, they're putting out the call for handwriting samples in the above languages to get those up to speed.Also apparently, the Safari clipper was a bit buggy, so they've ironed some wrinkles out of that browser toolbar, as well as fixed a few other little issues.And for the bold-hearted, just as a number of other software manufacturers offer, Evernote's latest edition lets you subscribe to the beta release the moment it's available. This gives you cool new features first, but beware, these builds are less stable than the regular release, and you might find your notes disappearing into the ether.You can download the latest version of Evernote here while the iPhone app can be found here.
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News: Evolution Designs intros BackFlip Case for iPhone 3G, 3GS
Evolution Designs has introduced its new BackFlip Case for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. Made from a soft, impact-absorbing material, the BackFlip Case features open access to the screen, Home button, camera, ring/silent switch, headphone port, and Dock connector, built-in, push-through protection for the sleep/wake and volume buttons, and a built-in kickstand on the rear that can hold the iPhone upright when in vertical position or on its…
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Apple launches iTunes Preview for external browser links
Filed under: iTS, Multimedia, iTunes, Apple, Music This is the kind of thing that probably should have been done a long time ago, but Macworld is reporting that Apple has launched iTunes Preview, a page that appears when you click an iTunes link (like this one) and your browser sends you over to iTunes. Previously, you just got that placeholder page that said "One Moment Please" and asked if you wanted to open the link in an external application, but with iTunes Preview, you get a nicely laid out page with information and reviews (and your browser still opens up the iTunes store). Currently it only seems to work with music -- movies and television only get a small thumbnail, and applications get the same old gray page. But that'll probably change before long -- it's much smoother to see what you're clicking through to, and of course there's the added bonus for people who don't actually have iTunes installed. As MacWorld points out, there are actually no "preview" buttons on the page -- you can't listen to music there, only click through to the iTunes store. But like I said, it's better than a blank window and a browser popup asking for your permission. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see this grow a lot more in the future.TUAWApple launches iTunes Preview for external browser links originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Apple - TUAW - ITunes Store - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Television
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News: Apple launches in-browser iTunes Preview
Apple has quietly rolled out its new iTunes Preview feature, letting both iTunes and non-iTunes users browse the iTunes Store's music catalog without needing to launch the iTunes application itself. Currently accessible from Apple's online iTunes Charts or via direct iTunes Store links, the Preview pages include track listings, user reviews, and related links, although ironically users can't actually preview songs from within the…
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Panasonic debuts multimedia audio system photo frame
Posted by Dennis SellersPanasonic has its first audio system with an iPod dock and photo frame. The MW-10 will be available next month at a suggested retail price of $299.95.
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App Store devs get "edge"-y as a reaction to trademark threats
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store App Store developers can be a rebellious kind -- we've already covered the story of a company shooting their price up to $40 just to show their customers how much they could be charging, and now, in response to an overly defensive trademark owner, developers on the store are putting the word "Edge" in their titles. Even high profile releases like the sequel to Eliss and the popular Canabalt are becoming Edgeliss and Canabedge. Critter Crunch becomes Critter Edge on their main page, and so on. The story starts with a guy named Tim Langdell, who started a company a while back named Edge Games. Since he founded that company, he has mercilessly gone after any other game company who dares to use the word "edge" in their title, claiming that he has the trademark to any and all "edge"-related gaming. He's gone after EA's Mirror's Edge and a few other titles, but the App Store has been a prime target, where he simply contacts Apple, claims the app is in violation of his trademarks, and gets apps pulled without a problem. The latest target is a title called Killer Edge Racing by a company named PuzzleKings, and reportedly Langdell has gone so far as to trademark that name, despite the fact that the game using it has been around for years. Hence the indie game developers' "edge-volution." They aren't actually renaming their games in the store, just showing off solidarity with other developers against what they see as Langdell's wrongdoing, and getting the word out about his actions against "edge" on the App Store.TUAWApp Store devs get "edge"-y as a reaction to trademark threats originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments appstore - iPhone - Apple - Edge Games - Game
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News: Panasonic rolls out MW-10 system with iPod dock
Panasonic has introduced its new MW-10 audio system for the iPod. Unlike past iPod audio systems from Panasonic, the MW-10 combines an audio system with a Universal iPod Dock and photo frame. Features include a built-in CD player, FM/AM radio tuner, a bamboo cone speaker, D.Bass processing, an SD card slot, a nine-inch LCD that can display photos from a CD, SD card, or from the 4GB of internal memory, a variety of other display options, including…
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Annual holiday party set for November MacBUS meeting
Posted by Dennis SellersThe next meeting of The Macintosh Business Users Society of Greater Philadelphia (MacBUS) will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 6:30 pm.
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NASA turns iPhone into chemical sensor, can an App Store rejection be far away?
People have been trying to turn cellphones into medical and atmospheric scanners for some time now, but when it's NASA stepping up to the plate with a little device to monitor trace amounts of chemicals in the air, it's hard to not start thinking we might finally have a use for all those tricorder ringtones. Developed by a team of researchers at the Ames Research Center led by Jing Li, the device is a small chip that plugs into the bottom of an iPhone and uses 16 nanosensors to detect the concentration of gasses like ammonia, chlorine, and methane. To what purpose exactly this device will serve and why the relatively closed iPhone was chosen as a development platform are mysteries we're simply not capable of answering. Damn it, man, we're bloggers not scientists! Gallery: NASA iPhone sensor [Via Gizmodo]Filed under: Cellphones, ScienceNASA turns iPhone into chemical sensor, can an App Store rejection be far away? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Info needed on Mac software for information organizing
Posted by Dennis SellersOur next Macsimum Migration Kit will look at Mac software for jewelers. If you use or know of such goodies, drop us a line (dsellers@macsimumnews.com) by Wednesday, Nov. 18.
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Yamaha's yAired-equipped MCR-140 micro stereo wirelessly talks to iPods and subwoofers
Yamaha seems to be pushing its newly unveiled yAired technology pretty hard, with the second system to sport it unveiled just weeks after the first. The $399.95 MCR-140 is far from being the most stylish mini stereo we've seen -- in fact, it's probably one of the ugliest -- but it is available in a rainbow's worth of hues (or just ten), and it does talk to iPods and subwoofers sans cabling. Aside from that, you'll also get an old fashioned CD player, a front-panel USB socket, an iPod dock on the top, FM radio tuner and mini jack inputs for other sources. The box itself packs a pair of 4-inch drivers and ships with a bundled remote, and if you're not so interested in cutting cords, a yAired-less MCR-040 is available for $120 less. Gallery: Yamaha's yAired-equipped MCR-140 micro stereo wirelessly talks to iPods and subwoofersContinue reading Yamaha's yAired-equipped MCR-140 micro stereo wirelessly talks to iPods and subwoofersFiled under: Home Entertainment, Portable AudioYamaha's yAired-equipped MCR-140 micro stereo wirelessly talks to iPods and subwoofers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Macsimum Migration Kit: Mac software for jewelers
Posted by Dennis Sellers For those new to the column, Macsimum Migration is our term for companies moving from Wintel machines to Macs—or at least adding or increasing the number of Macs they use. A Macsimum Migration Kit is an overview of Mac OS products for a particular occupation, such as dentistry, accounting, etc.) This...
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Apple's House Rules Won't Be the Death of App Development
So Facebook developer Joe Hewitt tweets that he's ditching the super-popular Facebook iPhone app, and TechCrunch, clearly sensing there's more to the story here, reaches out to learn why. "My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple's policies," Hewitt told TechCrunch. "I respect their right to manage their platform however they want; however, I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process." He's very concerned, he said, about Apple setting a bad precedent.
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Microsoft's new ad target: Windows 7
The software maker will let advertisers offer themes on the Windows desktop, but pledges to users that it's up to them whether they want to accept.
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Mac OS Ken: 11.13.2009
Apple Patent Reignites Mac Tablet Netbook Thingy Talk/ Apple Shows Press Around New NYC Store / Apple Plans 40 to 50 Store Openings in 2010 / Gartner Says Apple Third in Worldwide Smartphone Sales / Qualcomm Intros Worldmode iPhone Chip But Do Not Hold Your Breath / Verizon Exec Says He Would Not Be Surprised to See iPhone on Verizon But Do Not Hold Your Breath / Samsung Disavows VP Statement About Dropping Symbian / Microsoft Disavows Mac OS Influence on Windows 7 Comments / Apple Hiring for iPhone App Reviewer / iVIP App Makes Me Listen to an Hour of The Upper Crust
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Office 2010 beta leaks early
Microsoft is expected to release the updated test version of the new Office next week, but the code has already hit the torrent sites, according to bloggers.
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Feature requests for Mac OS X 10.7
Posted by Dennis SellersRecently, I penned an article about features I'd like to see in Mac OS X 10.7 whenever it arrives (and, no, Apple has made no comments on when Snow Leopard's follow-up might arrive). I requested your input and here are some feature recommendations emailed my way:
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MacTracker updated for latest Mac hardware
Posted by Dennis SellersMacTracker—which provides detailed information on every Apple Macintosh computer ever made, including items such as processor speed, memory, optical drives, graphic cards, supported Mac OS versions, and expansion options—has been updated to version 5.0.11. It includes data on the latest Mac hardware updates.
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Some universities won't deploy Kindle as textbook reader
Posted by Dennis SellersThe National Federation of the Blind, the oldest and largest organization of blind Americans, has applauded the decision of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Syracuse University to not deploy Amazon's Kindle DX as a means of distributing electronic textbooks (e-books) to their students.
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PhoneSuit Primo adds extra juice, minimal bulk to your iPhone / iPod
We were suitably impressed by Mophie's Juice Pack Air extended battery / iPhone case when we got a chance to try one out earlier this year, but if you're looking for an extended battery without the case you might want to consider this new Primo micro battery pack form PhoneSuit. Designed for use with various iPods in addition to the iPhone, this one packs an 800mAh battery inside its tiny enclosure, which promises to add up to 45 hours of music playback time to your iPod, or up to three hours of extra talk time to your iPhone 3G. Better still, it has a fairly reasonable price tag of $35, or you can snag a three-pack for $89.95 if you like to be extra prepared (or are looking for a few stocking stuffers). We'll also be checking this one out ourselves shortly, so stay tuned to see if it actually lives up to its claims.Filed under: Cellphones, Portable AudioPhoneSuit Primo adds extra juice, minimal bulk to your iPhone / iPod originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Presented By: National Geographic Channel - Expedition Week
Search for the Amazon HeadshrinkersSunday 9P e/pThey say that shrinking heads is no longer practiced. Weâre going to ask the experts. Premieres Sunday at 9P e/p on Nat Geo. Learn more at natgeotv.com/expedition Ads by Pheedo
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Consumers look to digital means as guides to holiday shopping
Posted by Dennis SellersDigital advancements continue to drive a new approach to shopping, with social media and mobile phones emerging as key influencers this holiday season, according to Deloitte's 24th Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends.